Steam railways fans will have to wait three more weeks to see the Flying Scotsman in action – but will it visit Ely?

Hundreds of train enthusiasts were left disappointed after the world-famous Flying Scotsman broke down on its journey through Fenland to Ely on October 18. Terry Briggs captured the moment rail station workers broke the news to fans at March rail station. Photo: Terry Briggs

The world-famous steam locomotive broke down in Peterborough on its way to East Cambridgeshire on Wednesday (October 18) and it will not be repaired in time to complete its scheduled return trips to Ipswich and London from Norwich.

Those journeys have been rescheduled for Saturday November 11, but a press release last night from organisers didn’t make it clear if the Ely to Norwich trip is part of the re-arranged package.

A spokesman said: “On October 18 during the ‘Flying Scotsman’-hauled service between York and Peterborough, a driving axle box bearing was found to be running warm.

“As a precautionary measure, Flying Scotsman is now at Nene Valley Railway, where it is undergoing an engineering inspection. Unfortunately, the trips from Norwich, scheduled for this weekend, will not now be able to go ahead.

“However, we can confirm that, thanks to the efforts of our train operator, West Coast Railways, along with Network Rail, Riley & Sons Engineering and tour operator Steam Dreams, the trips are in the process of being re-arranged for Saturday November 11 instead of being cancelled.

“They will run to the same schedule and timings, subject to final confirmation from Network Rail.

“We share the public’s disappointment that Flying Scotsman is unable to run this weekend, but problems are unfortunately always possible when operating an engine of any type and age on the railway network.

“Our priority is to identify and resolve any problems and to ensure that this historic locomotive is back in operation as soon as possible. A further update on Flying Scotsman will be provided in due course.”

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